SOFIA, April 21 (Reuters) – Pirates attacked a Portugal-flagged ship and kidnapped its Bulgarian captain and seven sailors off the coast of Benin, Bulgaria’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday.
A ministry statement said the pirates who boarded the Tommi Ritscher container ship at the port of Cotonou in the Gulf of Guinea on Sunday had released 11 other members of the crew.
It said it has requested more details from Benin’s foreign ministry but no information had been received so far.
A representative of the Russian Embassy in Benin and Togo was quoted as saying by TASS news agency that three Russian citizens were among the hostages seized.
This is the latest incident of piracy off the coast of Benin. In November the West African nation’s authorities opened an investigation after pirates abducted nine people from a Norwegian-flagged boat.
While piracy has decreased worldwide, West Africa’s Gulf of Guinea is a high-risk area for abductions and armed robbery with shippers reporting several abductions in the region in recent months.
(Reporting by Angel Krasimirov, Editing by William Maclean)
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019.
Sign up for gCaptain’s newsletter and never miss an update
Essential maritime and offshore news, insights, and updates delivered daily straight to your inbox
Orders for alternative-fueled vessels declined sharply in 2025 following an exceptional year of growth, with the maritime industry placing 232 such orders in the first eleven months—a 53% drop compared...
The Panama-flagged tanker M/T Mersin suffered four external explosions while at anchor off Dakar, Senegal, on November 27, marking the latest in a series of incidents affecting vessels in international...
By Guy Faulconbridge and Vladimir Soldatkin MOSCOW, Nov 30 (Reuters) – Kazakhstan told Ukraine on Sunday to stop attacking the Black Sea terminal of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which handles more than...
Subscribe to gCaptain Daily and stay informed with the latest global maritime and offshore news
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
Sign Up
Join The Club
